Fast ‘N’ Rocking can atone in the Bletchingly Stakes

Last Saturday’s beaten favourite Fast ‘N’ Rocking can atone for his defeat when he lines up in the Group 3 $150,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in a fortnight.

Fast ‘N’ Rocking, above, will get his chance to atone for his defeat at Caulfield when he lines up in the Bletchingly Stakes. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Punters sent the Lindsay Park trained Fast ‘N’ Rocking out as the $2.80 favourite for the Group 3 $150,000 Food Services Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield but the five year old had no luck in running and finished in sixth position, just under three length behind the winner Wild Rain.

Fast ‘N’ Rocking had drawn barrier six in the fifteen horse field and after jumping with the field, drifted back along the fence, settling just worse than midfield with horses all around him.

After being boxed in the on the fence, jockey Dwayne Dunn had no choice but to ride for luck in the straight, but the runs never came and Fast ‘N’ Rocking never secured a clear run to the line and finished on the placegetters heels and Dunn can’t wait to give him his chance in the Bletchingly Stakes.

“They were bunched outside of me early and they sucked me in to going down to the rail,” Dunn said.

“The horses that drew inside me all showed more speed and then horses to my outside all aimed back towards the inside and basically sucked me in to a position where I didn’t want to be in.:

“I was going to need a lot of luck from where I was and the runs just didn’t open up for us.”

“He’ll be hard to beat in two weeks time.”

Although Fast ‘N’ Rocking has been a consistent performer over a long period of time, he has only won five races from forty starts and hasn’t visited the winner’s stall since claiming victory in Listed $120,000 italktravel Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield ten months ago.

The Fastnet Rock five year old has figured in minor placings at Group 1 level on three occasions with a second in the 2013 $1m Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield as a two year old, a third in the 2015 $400,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield and a third in the 2015 $1m Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in Perth.

Even though Fast ‘N’ Rocking failed to fire last Saturday, the day was not a total loss for the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig training partnership who saddled up the winners of the first two races on the Caulfield program with smart fillies Sebrikka and Majestic Lass.

Author: Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.